Monday, October 25, 2010

25 October 2007 - They Didn't Give Him Much Incentive To Win It, Did They?

On 25 October 2007, manager Martin Jol guided Tottenham Hotspur in their UEFA Cup tilt against Getafe despite being sacked earlier that day.

Jol, who had taken charge of Spurs in November 2004, led them to 9th-place in the final table that season, followed by consecutive 5th-place finishes in 2006 and 2007. But they had a rocky start to the 2007-08 season, with only one win in their first 10 matches. After only two matches, photographers caught Spurs officials meeting in a Spanish hotel with Sevilla manager Juande Ramos, fueling rampant speculation that Jol's departure was imminent.

Prior to the match against Getafe, Daily Mirror reporter John Cross announced that the Spurs board had in fact sacked Jol, but that he would nonetheless take charge of the side one last time. The word circulated throughout the stadium, leading the Spurs supporters to chant "Stand up for Martin Jol." But it was an unhappy curtain call for the Dutchman, as Getafe won 1-2.

Ramos indeed succeeded Jol, but lasted just under one year before getting sacked himself. Jol, meanwhile, moved to Hamburg. After guiding them to a 5th-place finish in 2008, he moved to his current club, Ajax.